With Pennsylvania electric rates projected to increase up to 30% starting January 1, 2011 as rate caps expire for the remaining areas of the state, Pennsylvania businesses are being bombarded by promises of lower electric rates and savings from all types of sources: door-to-door solicitors, tv and radio ads, billboards, and social network marketing.

However, Pennsylvania businesses have to be careful when shopping for a low electric rate, especially when approached by door-to-door sales agents claiming to be brokers or consultants.

In many cases, these self-identified brokers are merely marketing arms of specific energy suppliers.  They are not truly independent brokers that work to get customers the lowest energy rate.  Instead, they are simply a “hired gun” sales force whose job it is to enroll the customer with their client.  Small businesses, particularly storefront businesses and mom and pop shops, need to be acutely aware of this, since they will likely be visited multiple times by a number of different agents trying to get them to switch their electric supplier.  While these agents may be able to promise some savings, customers will be leaving money on the table if they don’t shop around and get electric price quotes from numerous energy suppliers.

These door-to-door agents often are armed with preset electric rates, which are essentially “standing offers” that their client suppliers have authorized them to make available.  This means the rates are generic prices geared towards some average customer, and are not designed to maximize your energy savings by delivering you a customized price quote.  These offers can also become stale, and miss out on price drops in the market that customers could otherwise receive by shopping around.

Pennsylvania businesses looking for a lower electric rate need an independent source to compare multiple rate offers, not just one or two.  SaveOnEnergy.com, a truly independent exchange to compare electric prices, fills this need by offering Pennsylvania businesses customized rate quotes from up to eight energy suppliers competing head-to-head, ensuring customers get the lowest price. 

The best part is it takes only a few minutes to get these competing rate offers, using SaveOnEnergy.com’s exclusive retail exchange portal.  Similar to LendingTree, customers just enter some information about their electric account and usage, and the information is instantly transmitted to up to eight competing energy providers who contact the customer directly with their best offers. 

Electric suppliers competing for customers on SaveOnEnergy.com’s platform don’t leave any margin on the table, because they know that they have to beat seven other electric companies to win the account.  In contrast, an agent soliciting a customer door-to-door may show a customer only one or two electric rate offers, neither of which likely is the lowest from a particular supplier, which gives the customer no real choice.

SaveOnEnergy.com can therefore get Pennsylvania business customers the lowest electric rate, saving them hundreds if not thousands on their electric bills, by putting the power of real competition in the customer’s hands.

With electric rate caps expiring for the remaining 60% of Pennsylvania customers on January 1, 2011, dozens of new energy providers are flooding the market trying to profit from switching customers to a lower energy rate.

While that’s good news for customers because it means competition will drive electric rates down, it also means customers must be vigilant in finding a reputable supplier among the over 100 electric companies now vying for customers’ business.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission reports that there are 124 active and licensed electric generation suppliers as of June — an increase of nearly 50 suppliers since the start of the year, as new competing energy providers eye serving customers hoping to avoid utility rate hikes of up to 30% by switching electric suppliers.  There’s about 20 more suppliers with license applications still pending before the Public Utility Commission, and there could be as many as 150 energy suppliers in the market before the year is out.

So how do Pennsylvania customers — the vast majority of which have never shopped for an electricity provider before — find the right supplier.  That’s where the industry experts at SaveOnEnergy.com come in, who can not only help customers find the lowest energy rate, but can make sure customers find a reputable and trustworthy energy supplier.

In general, customers should have no qualms about choosing a new energy supplier.  Regardless of who the customer chooses, the local utility — PECO, PPL, etc. — will still deliver your power over their transmission lines, and will still respond to outages and other service disruptions as they do now.

However, just as customers wouldn’t pick their doctor or mechanic without doing research and asking around, picking the first energy supplier that offers a low rate is not the wisest decision.  Selling electricity is a complex and highly technical business, and not just every venture capitalist can build a successful start-up that can serve customers for the long haul.  In other states where customers can choose their energy provider — Texas, Ohio, Maryland, and even in Pennsylvania in the 1990s — energy suppliers have left customers stranded on higher rates by not living up to their contracts or going out of business, because of the volatility in the electric and natural gas markets.

SaveOnEnergy.com helps customers weed out weak or unstable energy suppliers, and only recommends established suppliers with track records of providing customers with savings over the long haul.

SaveOnEnergy.com’s seasoned management team, with decades of experience in the energy industry, screen all the players in the market, and search for electric suppliers with proven financial stability and established and trustworthy leadership with significant experience in serving satisfied customers.  SaveOnEnergy.com pours through public and proprietary market data to vet each and every supplier, to ensure they aren’t taking risks with their customers’ money, or gambling on the market. 

By vigorously screening and recommending energy suppliers for customers, SaveOnEnergy.com ensures that when customers use SaveOnEnergy.com to find a low electric rate, there won’t be any surprises down the line; customers will be assured of saving money on their electric bill for 12, 24, or even 60 months.  Taking just a few minutes to find a low energy rate on SaveOnEnergy.com takes the guesswork out of finding the right energy supplier, and gives customers peace of mind that’s not available when they go it alone.

If the experience at PPL Electric Utilities is any indication, the majority of Pennsylvania electric customers at PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power (Allegheny) are not aware that they are facing electric rate hikes in the neighborhood of 30% starting January 1, 2011 when rate caps expire.

Even though the likely rate hikes are just some five months away, many customers aren’t educated about the state’s competitive electric market and their ability to choose a lower electric rate.

That’s the conclusion in a recent report from Pennsylvania’s Auditor General Jack Wagner, who said that more education is needed to ensure electric customers don’t pay the steep rate hikes when January comes.  Customers can avoid these rate hikes by shopping for a lower priced energy provider, but many customers are unaware of this new right.

The Auditor General examined the experience of the removal of rate caps at PPL, where rate caps ended December 31, 2009, in concluding that most customers are unaware of the looming rate hikes.  Specifically, the Auditor General found that as of September 30, 2009, just three months before customers at PPL were to see electric rate hikes of 30%, only 57% of customers were aware of when rate caps would expire. 

While news coverage, and likely consumer awareness, of the expiring rate caps accelerated in November and December 2009, such increased awareness may have been too late to keep customers from taking a hit in the wallet.

That’s because switching your energy supplier in Pennsylvania is a process than can take six to eight weeks, because switches must occur on a regularly scheduled meter read which only occurs once a month.  That means if customers wait until the last minute to shop for a lower electric rate, they may “miss” being switched to their new energy provider in time to avoid the rate hike. 

Put another way, a customer choosing a new electric company in December 2010 hoping to avoid rate shock at PECO or another utility on January 1, 2011 is very unlikely to have their switch executed in time, and will end up paying at least one month of the higher utility rates before their switch to a lower cost supplier takes effect 6-8 weeks later in January or February.

That’s why Pennsylvania electric customers have to be shopping for a lower electric rate now, so they can ensure their switch takes effect before rate hikes occur.  SaveOnEnergy.com offers Pennsylvanians the easiest way to find a low electric rate, with savings just a few clicks of the mouse away.  Only SaveOnEnergy.com provides customers with the ability to have up to eight competing energy suppliers compete head-to-head for the customer’s business, through its exclusive commercial exchange portal.  That means customers can spend less time stressing about higher electric rates, and more time saving money.

The best news for Pennsylvania customers is that electric rates right now are at lows not seen in several years, making it the perfect time to shop.  And SaveOnEnergy.com can help customers “forward contract” their energy purchases, meaning customers can buy power at today’s low rates, for delivery starting January 1, 2011 when rate caps expire.  This forward contracting allows customers to find a low cost energy supplier well before rate caps expire so the switch can be timed to occur precisely when the rate caps end, but still allows customers to benefit from their capped electric rates until deliveries under the forward contract begin, giving customers the best of both worlds.

Electric rate caps for customers in the majority of Pennsylvania, including at PECO in the Philadelphia area, will expire on January 1, 2011, and the latest data from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) shows that, on average, customers are facing higher rate hikes than forecast three months ago, unless customers exercise their right to choose a lower cost energy provider.

The PUC’s latest comparison of electric prices under the rate caps versus current market conditions show that, on average, industrial customers are facing a 13.3% rate hike when rate caps expire in January.  That’s double the 6.3% hike projected in March. 

For Pennsylvania commercial customers, the average rate hike on January 1, 2011 is expected to be 12.1%, again, double the March prediction.  The expected residential rate hike is also higher, at 12.8% versus 8.5% in March.

These figures are statewide averages, and individual utilities could see higher electric rates.  For example, business customer rates at Met-Ed and Penelec are expected to increase from 20-30% starting January 1, 2011, if customers don’t shop for power.

Fortunately, customers can avoid these rate hikes and save money on their electric bills by choosing an alternative electric generation supplier.  Pennsylvania business customers shopping for a lower energy rate can typically save 20% or more on their electric costs, while residential customers can save up to 10%.

The simplest way for Pennsylvania customers to navigate this new electric market and avoid rate shock is using SaveOnEnergy.com, the one stop shop for finding a low electric rate.  SaveOnEnergy.com vets all the new energy suppliers in the market and gets them to compete for your business, making sure you get the lowest rate.  Only SaveOnEnergy.com pits up to eight energy suppliers in head-to-head competition for your business’s electric supply needs, getting you the absolute lowest rate from a trusted provider, while taking the work and hassle out of finding a new energy supplier.  By taking just a few minutes to shop for a low electric rate on SaveOnEnergy.com, Pennsylvania businesses can save thousands of dollars on their electric bills, all with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Everyone would rather spend time on something more fun than paying their monthly electric bill, so many customers just simply scan their bill for an amount, write a check, and forgot about their electricity until the next month.  However, this behavior can put Texans in danger of seeing their rates increase by 25%, 50%, or even 100%, in situations where a customer’s fixed-price contract expires.  You need to check your energy rate on your bill every month, to ensure you are getting a low rate comparable with the low rates available on SaveOnEnergy.com.  If you are paying a higher rate for electricity, it may be time to switch to a new energy provider.

Thousands of Texans have taken advantage of SaveOnEnergy.com to lock-in a low electric rate for 12, 18, or 24 months, if not longer.  However, because customers tend to “set it and forget it” when it comes to choosing an electric company, customers often forget when their low, fixed rate ends, exposing them to a higher price.

When a customer’s contract expires, the customer has the right to select any product or provider they desire.  However, if the customer isn’t keeping track of their contract, they may take no action, simply because they aren’t aware their contract is expiring.  If a customer doesn’t take any action when their contract expires, Texas electric providers have the right to place customers on the provider’s “default” rate.

These default rates can be much higher than both the customer’s current rate, and other rates in the market.  Worse, these default rates change month to month, and follow any price spikes seen in the energy market.

As noted by one Forth Worth Star-Telegram correspondent, these default rates can triple a customer’s electric bill.  One customer ended up with a $550 monthly electric bill, when their bill is normally less than $200, because their contract had expired, and their provider moved them to a default rate.

While Texas energy suppliers must notify customers of contract expiration, the notification process is not robust.  Suppliers are required to mail or email a contract expiration notice.  However, mailed notices often wind up with junk mail discarded by the customer, since the notice may be separate from the customer’s normal monthly bill.  Electric companies may also email customers a contract expiration notice, but customers may not be expecting such important legal information in their email inbox, and may have given their provider a secondary email address, for privacy and spam concerns, which they do not check often.  While electric suppliers must have a customer’s “consent” to send legal contract notices via email, such consent usually amounts to the supplier informing the customer, in the lengthy Terms Of Service which many customers do not read, that the customer automatically consents to email notice unless the customer objects.  Many customers are thus unaware they’ve unwittingly agreed to receive important contract notices via email.

This is why you need to check your energy rate every month, and compare it against prices in the market.  Fortunately, comparing energy rates takes only a few seconds using SaveOnEnergy.com.  All you need is your bill, which will state your energy rate listed as “the average price you paid for electric service this month,” or a similar description.  You can then go online to SaveOnEnergy.com, enter your zip code, and see the lowest electricity rates in Texas.  Determining if you’re paying too much for electricity can be done any time day or night, meaning there’s no excuse for not checking your energy rate.

Starting this month, Texans will start getting their first electric bills of the season reflecting higher amounts for summer air conditioning usage.  Seeing these higher bills, which can increase monthly electric costs by at least $100, is what typically drives most Texans to shop for a lower electric rate, even though summer is traditionally not the best time to find a low rate.

However, so far this summer, Texas electric rates have remained low, meaning it’s still a great time to lock-in a low, secured fixed rate for electricity when you get that first summer power bill.  SaveOnEnergy.com is Texans’ one-stop shop for finding a low electric rate and comparing the different offers and options from energy suppliers.

Even though the weather has heated up, which typically pushes Texas electric rates higher, rates have remained relatively stable over the past two months, and the great deals that were available in the spring are still around.

Texas electric rates remain at historic lows because of reduced demand due to the recession, and a much lower price for natural gas, the main driver of Texas electric prices.  Last week, even as a heat wave boosted power consumption across much of the United States, natural gas prices were down another 6% as storage inventories continued to grow. 

This means great deals on electric rates are still available to Texans.  For example, customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex (at Oncor) can lock-in a low, fixed rate for electricity for just over 9¢ per kilowatt-hour.  In Houston (at CenterPoint), low fixed rates are available for just above 10¢ per kilowatt-hour, which is half of what the prevailing Texas electric rates were just two summers ago.  Customers need to lock-in a low electric rate now to take advantage of these historic low prices, and avoid any potential spike in Texas electric rates, such as the rates of more than 20¢ per kilowatt-hour seen during the summer of 2008.

If you’ve put off shopping for a low electric rate until seeing that first monster power bill of the summer, there’s still time to act.  SaveOnEnergy.com offers customers the fastest and easiest way to compare the lowest electric rates in Texas, allowing customers to save money on their power bills with just a few clicks of the mouse any time day or night.

Businesses continue to increase their purchases of green energy, especially as the rates for green energy become increasingly competitive, if not cheaper, than rates for ordinary brown energy.  Aside from reducing pollution, business can benefit from buying economical wind energy, to meet either a portion or the entirety of their energy needs, since wind power can act as a hedge against volatile prices for brown energy, which follow any spikes in the price for oil and natural gas.  Businesses are also choosing green energy to boost employee morale, and show a public commitment to sustainability.

But as going green becomes more popular among businesses, more and more people want to sell businesses green energy.  Not all of these green companies are bona fide, and may not be selling green energy whose renewable supply and offsets have been verified by third parties.  Other green energy providers are start-ups who haven’t been tested in the volatile energy industry yet, and lack the experience to manage a customer’s supply needs in a turbulent market.

SaveOnGreenEnergy.com ensures businesses find a reputable and experienced green energy provider, one that is offering true renewable energy supply or credits.  Founded and managed by energy industry experts with decades of experience, SaveOnGreenEnergy.com rigorously vets green energy suppliers to weed out the pretenders, and only recommends companies offering verified green energy who can stand behind their products.  By using SaveOnGreenEnergy.com, businesses can find a low rate for green energy while avoiding fly-by-night start-ups and other risky providers.

SaveOnGreenEnergy.com also ensures businesses find the lowest rate for green energy by pitting green energy suppliers in head to head competition.  Using the one-of-a-kind commercial exchange portal pioneered by its parent, SaveOnEnergy.com, only SaveOnGreenEnergy.com gives businesses the opportunity to get quotes for green energy rates from up to eight competing green energy providers, all with just a few clicks of the mouse.  SaveOnGreenEnergy.com takes the hard work out of finding a green energy provider, making going green simple for businesses looking to help the environment and save money in the process.

There are now over 100 new electric generation suppliers competing to serve Pennsylvania’s business customers, but while this competition can drastically lower Pennsylvanians’ electric bills, customers need to be sure that they find a reputable and competent energy provider that will be around for the long haul.  That’s where SaveOnEnergy.com can save Pennsylvania businesses not only money on their electric bills, but hours and hours of time in finding the right energy supplier.

The risks from choosing the wrong electric supplier are not just hypothetical.  In other markets where electric competition has allowed customers to save money on their electric bills, there have been energy suppliers that have gone out of business, as can be expected in any market where competition is driving down prices and margins, and only the strong survive.

Pennsylvanians can not simply choose the lowest electric rate when shopping for an energy provider, tempting as that may be.  While a low price is important, customers need to be assured that their electric company can honor that price, whether it be for a short-term contract, or up to 12, 24 or 36 months.  If their energy supplier offers a low “teaser” rate, but can’t stand behind it and goes out of business due to mismanagement or risky plays in the electric markets, customers could be stuck paying extremely high rates for “default” service, which is the safety net service customers are automatically pushed to if their electric supplier goes out of business.  These default rates can be high and volatile, and for some large business customers, they can change every hour of the day, with changes in the wholesale electricity market.  These “hourly” prices can spike as high as thousands of dollars — or more than 10 times the normal price.

Businesses have been exposed to these punitive rates on several occasions in the competitive Texas electric market, particularly in 2008 when five electric providers defaulted and dropped customers to the safety net Provider of Last Resort, mainly due to poor risk management by the suppliers.  Pennsylvania customers must protect themselves against such dangers.  However, researching the 100 electric companies now competing in Pennsylvania would take hours and hours, adding up to weeks if not months.  Moreover, getting a good handle on the competency and capability of each energy supplier in Pennsylvania is a daunting task, as the electric industry is extremely complicated and technical, with limited information available publicly.

That’s where SaveOnEnergy.com can not only save Pennsylvania businesses thousands on their electric bill; SaveOnEnergy.com can also save businesses thousands in hours of research, allowing business owners to focus on what matters, helping their customers and running their businesses.  As noted last week, the experts at SaveOnEnergy.com screen all electric suppliers in the market using a rigorous criteria, including financial strength and management competence.  This includes investigating an energy supplier’s capitalization to ensure that it can weather volatile changes in the electric market; a supplier’s risk management and commodity purchasing strategies to ensure that the supplier is not taking risks with its customers’ money by playing the market; and a supplier’s leadership to ensure that they have a history of sound business decisions and have not broken contracts with customers in the past. 

By relying on the expertise of SaveOnEnergy.com to shop for a lower electric rate, Pennsylvania business customers can be assured that they will not be stranded on a high-priced “default” electric service because their supplier went out of business.  In this way, SaveOnEnergy.com not only provides customers with a low electric rate, but ensures this rate translates into real savings, and doesn’t vanish in just a few months because the supplier went out of business.

As noted last week, Pennsylvania businesses will soon be bombarded, if not already, with a multitude of electric rate offers from new energy suppliers and their broker agents in anticipation of the end of capped electric rates at the remaining Pennsylvania utilities — PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power (Allegheny).  There are some 100 energy providers and agents trying to win your business, but not all of them are looking out for your best interests.

Many agents or brokers represent the interest of a single supplier, or perhaps two or three energy suppliers.  These energy suppliers are not necessarily chosen for their low rates or superior customer service; they are chosen because these suppliers will pay the broker the highest commission for any sales.  The broker thus acts less as an independent matchmaker, and more as a supplier’s solicitor, with little difference from being an employee of that energy provider.

SaveOnEnergy.com is different.  Instead of a broker acting as a sales arm of an energy supplier, SaveOnEnergy.com instead provides a platform where energy providers compete directly for your business.  SaveOnEnergy.com does not represent any supplier’s interest, and therefore can offer the lowest rates, but, just as importantly, can also recommend the most reputable and financially sound energy companies.

SaveOnEnergy.com rigorously screens all the electric companies on its exchange portal, to ensure only the best suppliers which provide high levels of value and customer service are recommended to customers.  The energy industry experts at SaveOnEnergy.com vet all suppliers in the market to weed out shaky or fly-by-night operators that don’t have the wherewithal to survive the volatile energy market.  SaveOnEnergy.com also rejects suppliers that don’t value their customers, and have a high rate of complaints or poor levels of customer service.

To ensure that customers find the most respected energy providers, SaveOnEnergy.com applies its demanding criteria to all energy providers in the market, scrutinizing suppliers on numerous factors such as pricing, plan features, payment options, customer services, business ethics, and financial stability.  Specific criteria include, but are not limited to:

Pricing

• Competitive pricing
• Consistent price savings
• Fixed rates and month-to-month options

Experienced Leadership

• Proven financial stability
• Established and trustworthy management team with significant industry experience

Quality Billing System

• Billing accuracy
• Easy to read invoices with no ’small print’
• Usage and rates that are clearly displayed on the bill
• Online account management
• Paperless billing
• Payment options include credit card, automatic bank draft, online or payment by phone
• Bill payment assistance and payment plans

By applying these metrics to potential electric suppliers, SaveOnEnergy.com provides a peace of mind unavailable from other agents in the Pennsylvania energy market, and ensures that customers find not just a low rate, but an electric company that will stand behind it.

Pennsylvania businesses looking to save money on their electric bills when rate caps come off at the remaining utilities — including PECO in the Philadelphia area — will be bombarded with offers promising lower electric rates from new electric generation suppliers as well as these suppliers’ marketing agents and brokers.  However, only SaveOnEnergy.com, an independent consultant, can provide customers with low electric rates customized for your business that result from competing energy providers battling head-to-head to win your business.  Only SaveOnEnergy.com’s exclusive retail exchange portal assures customers of finding the lowest electric rates in the market, and not the higher rates of a broker’s preferred supplier. 

Starting January 1, 2011, business customers at PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power (Allegheny Power) are likely to see electric rate increases as high as 30% if they stay with their utility for their electric supply.  Fortunately, with competition among new alternative energy companies, businesses can lower their electric bills and save thousands, if not millions, each year. 

With the impending end of rate caps at these utilities, over 50 new sales channels, many of them start-ups, are marketing electric supplies to customers.  They all promise lower rates, but many of these sales agents work with only one supplier, or only a handful of preferred suppliers that provide these agents with higher commissions.  It means customers aren’t assured of getting an impartial analysis and may not receive the lowest rates.

SaveOnEnergy.com is different.  Only SaveOnEnergy.com offers business customers the chance to get competing electric rate quotes from up to eight screened and reputable energy providers, ensuring that competition drives the customer’s electric rate lower.  All business customers have to do is take a few minutes to enter their information on SaveOnEnergy.com’s commercial exchange portal, and the information is instantly transmitted to the competing energy suppliers, who then develop customized low rates and contact the customer directly.  Because the electric companies on SaveOnEnergy.com know they are competing against seven other energy suppliers, they are forced to provide their lowest rate to the customer, with no padded margin or profit.  Other electric brokers working with fewer energy providers can’t provide the same low rates because there’s less competition for your business.  Furthermore, these other brokers may not bid your electric load individually, and instead may only quote a more expensive “standing offer” that the energy supplier provides to them to solicit business.  This all means using another broker to choose an electric company will end up costing you more money than using SaveOnEnergy.com to make energy suppliers compete for your business.